HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 2014-32COUNTY COUNCIL COUNTY OF KAUAI Re50tution No m.wu RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ANNUAL GRANTS FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO ENABLE REGISTERED BEEKEEPERS TO TEST THEIR BEE POLLEN FOR PESTICIDES AND OTHER THREATS WHEREAS, the State of Hawai`i and its various Departments are responsible for monitoring environmental health, including thoroughly securing the safety of Hawai`i's natural resources from any negative effects of agricultural production; and WHEREAS, agricultural production can cause a variety of negative effects when pesticides and chemicals are released in the natural environment; and WHEREAS, the State of Hawai`i and its various Departments are empowered to protect specific environmental concerns, such as the safety and sustainability of the State's bee populations; and WHEREAS, the State of Hawai`i Department of Agriculture, Plant Pest Control Branch personnel have identified a strategy for beekeeping sustainability in Hawai`i, centered on prevention of bee threats, education of beekeepers and the general public, mitigation of bee threats, and sustainability of queen production and marketing of Hawai`i bee products; and WHEREAS, the State of Hawai`i Department of Agriculture, Plant Pest Control Branch personnel have identified Varroa Mites, Africanized Bee, Small Hive Beetle, and Tropilaelaps Mites as particular dangers to Hawai`i's bee populations; and WHEREAS, some threats to Hawai`i's bee populations have been detected only on some of Hawai`i's islands, and not on other islands; and WHEREAS, the broad issue of Hawai`i's environmental health in general is further linked to bee health due to the harm that pesticides and other threats can inflict on bees as pollinators; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF KAUAI, STATE OF HAWAII, that the Council requests the Office of Economic Development OED) annually provide a total grant of $12,000 to an eligible non-profit organization that will thereafter fund up to twenty-seven (27) four hundred dollar 400) distributions to be made available for the purpose of testing bee pollen generated within the County of Kaua`i, for the presence of pesticides and other threats. If the County elects to do so, the Council requests the following: that the County develop a process whereby eligible non-profit organizations may apply for the $12,000 total grant that the selected non-profit organization will then distribute separately to individual beekeepers who are registered with the State; applications by eligible non-profit organizations be submitted to the County; the list of applicants may be reviewed by the State of Hawai`i Department of Agriculture, Plant Industry Division, Apiary Program; the Apiary Program may assist the County by discussing the list of grant applicant non-profit organizations, and providing non-binding recommendations; and the Apiary Program may assist the non-profit organization grant recipient by discussing the non-profit organization's list of beekeepers who may receive bee pollen testing, and providing non-binding recommendations. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council requests selection of a non- profit organization grant recipient that will distribute grant moneys to beekeepers that are residents of Kaua`i or Ni`ihau, and registered with the State of Hawai`i Department of Agriculture, Plant Industry Division, Apiary Program's Hawai`i Beekeeper Registry (Hawai`i Revised Statutes, Section 142-100). The Council further requests selection of a non-profit organization grant recipient that will distribute grant moneys to registered beekeepers that abide by the following conditions: 1) A representative from the Apiary Program, or other designee from the Department of Agriculture, be present when bee pollen samples are collected, to ensure standardization of testing. 2) Testing be conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture USDA) Market Services laboratory, located in Gastonia, North Carolina. 3) All test results be provided to the County of Kaua`i, the Apiary Program, the non-profit organization grant recipient, and the respective individual registered beekeepers. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council requests that as part of the 12,000 grant to the eligible non-profit organization, the County require the non- profit organization grant recipient to fund travel in the amount of one thousand two hundred dollars ($1,200), from the $12,000 total grant, for Apiary Program personnel to make additional visits to Kaua`i to meet with Kaua`i beekeepers, in addition to the number of visits that already occur pursuant to the Apiary Program's own funding.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this Resolution be sent to all members of the Hawai`i State Senate and Hawai`i State House of Representatives, Governor Neil Abercrombie, Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr., and the Chairperson of the Department of Agriculture. Introduced by: V:\RESOLUTIONS\2012-2014 TERM\2014-2148 Resolution to Establish Grants for Bee Testing JF_jh (mn).doc c;•iifimt• 01 dz rm- Ul e cercX,i di ak 2014-32 0e,a fie. a./ 4 ..e me 4 ...a.4,, 6 2 Jlan4ati i, eziim‘e, l a ct i, flan ti i, a+t a dc 9 tea 05-15-2014 011. X Cf.-,&, X a, X X 5C.9.,,„,, X aca i" X X T U' aA.ai 7 0 0 0 c;•iifimt• 01 dz rm- Ul e cercX,i di ak 2014-32 0e,a fie. a./ 4 ..e me 4 ...a.4,, 6 2 Jlan4ati i, eziim‘e, l a ct i, flan ti i, a+t a dc 9 tea 05-15-2014